Training, information, and encouragement for new amateur radio operators.

Ham

Following up on the previous post regarding the origin of the term ham for an amateur radio operator, it is my duty to inform the world that the term is ham, not HAM.

Sorry, this is a pet peeve of mine. Certain publications and organizations insist that an amateur radio operator is a three letter acronym (TLA).

It’s not HAM! It’s ham. The ham in ham radio doesn’t stand for anything like Host Adapter Module or High Altitude Mountaineering or Hospital Account Manager. You don’t eat a HAM sandwich, you eat a ham sandwich.

Not sure exactly why, but some places insist that ham is all-caps. Perhaps they are so bureaucratic and accustomed to acronyms that they simply think that ham must be short for a three-letter phrase. And when you tell them otherwise, they don’t believe you or don’t care.